Q: I would like to plant some
perennials or a slow-growing low bush beside my parents' gravestone in western
Pa. (slightly colder than here). There are regulations at the cemetery, such as
no rose bushes or pachysandra and nothing taller than 18 inches. Also, the site
is plagued by deer, so hostas and tulips are out of the question. Would you
have any suggestions of what I could plant? I was thinking snowdrops and
daffodils, but they only bloom for a short time in the spring.

A: Short... deer-resistant...
sun-loving... low-care... colorful over a long period... here are three choices
in each category that I like in this situation:

* Threadleaf
coreopsis, especially the golden-blooming 'Zagreb' and 'Golden Gain' or the new
deep wine-red 'Big Bang Mercury Rising.' Nice texture, long bloom, usually not
bothered by any animal.

* Dwarf salvia
'Marcus' or 'May Night.' Spiky purple flowers in late spring and will rebloom
in fall with early-summer cutback.

Dwarf Shrubs:

* Deutzia 'Nikko.'
A low, mounding shrub that gets white flowers in early spring and then has
yellow fall foliage. Can go 2' x 4' in
8-10 years with no care but can be kept even smaller with a chop every few
years.

* Cotoneaster
'Little Gem.' Compact, slow-growing, mounding broadleaf evergreen that gets
tiny white flowers in spring and small red fruits and red foliage in fall. One
trim a year will keep it 18" x 3.'